


That Is Not Love

by oki_doki_lemon_smokey



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Domestic Violence, F/M, Falling In Love, Happy Ending, M/M, Strangers to Lovers, charles wants to save him, he abuses aaron, james reynolds is a dick in this, just read it ok, mentions of Samuel Seabury, yeah i suck at tagging ok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-07
Updated: 2016-12-07
Packaged: 2018-09-07 02:31:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,346
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8779621
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oki_doki_lemon_smokey/pseuds/oki_doki_lemon_smokey
Summary: Silence. A tear slipped down Aaron's cheek as he stared up at Charles, and for the first time in the time that he knew Aaron, he finally saw a light in the short man's eyes."Help me."





	1. Chapter 1

Charles Lee first noticed it when the man first visited him.

Samuel Seabury had brought an old friend over to their house one night so he could catch up with him. The man's name was James Reynolds.

When the doorbell rang and Samuel answered the door, Charles stood a few feet away and watched quietly with narrowed eyes. He was a little surprised to see how tall and cold looking Samuel's friend was, but what surprised him even more was that there was short black man standing beside him with an anxious look on his face.

Samuel invited them in with ease, pulling James into a hug. Charles noticed how the man smiled a bit too brightly and a bit too widely for it to be real. Noticing the shorter man shuffle beside James, he focused on him for a moment.

The shorter man looked way too uncomfortable - he was biting his lip and looking around the place with a quiet fear in the back of his eyes, wringing his hands together nervously. Charles watched as the man reached for James' arm, but hesitated before letting his hand fall to his side.

What was alarming though was the difference in clothing the two had. James wore a bulky winter coat and a hat, with baggy jeans, while the shorter man wore only a long sleeved t-shirt and a pair of tight fitted, ripped jeans.

Their eyes met as Burr was looking around for just a second before he looked down at the ground, a blush tinting his cheeks. It was only a second, a split second, but Charles could see how terrified the man was - what he didn't expect was the deep sadness that turned the man's chocolate eyes into a large, black, empty abyss.

When Charles heard his name, he looked up and hummed, realizing Samuel was introducing him. Looking up at James, he noticed the warning hidden behind the other emotions in his eyes. 

After a moment, James grabbed onto the other man's arm, pulling him closer - a little too close for comfort. He introduced the man as Aaron Burr, his boyfriend.

Samuel took the two men into the living room, and Charles just stood there, staring at the front door as he listened to the loud conversation.

Aaron didn't speak a single word that night.


	2. Chapter 2

The second time Charles saw Aaron Burr was when he was at the store with Samuel.

They were looking for the Christmas aisle with all the decorations in it, but as Samuel sped ahead with the cart, Charles carefully looked down every aisle just in case his best friend missed anything.

He paused suddenly as he looked down the medical aisle, noticing an all too familiar man at the end of it. Looking in front of him, he went to tell Sammy, but the orange haired boy was already gone. Sighing, Charles walked down the aisle towards Aaron.

As he got closer, he noticed that the short man was holding onto a first aid kid and a few makeup products. And he wasn't wearing a coat again. As suspicious as it was, he decided not to pry and instead smiled the best he could.

"Excuse me?" He said as soon as he reached him, making the short man jump. "You're Aaron Burr, James Reynold's boyfriend, right?"

Aaron stared at him cautiously, but slowly nodded. Charles pulled his hand out of his pocket and held it out for the short man to shake.

"My names Charles Lee, if you don't remember."

Staring at his hand, Aaron slowly raised his hand and shook his. The short man's hand was freezing against his.

"I remember."

The two spoke for a few minutes, and Charles managed to get Aaron to speak a little boy about himself. He asked how Aaron was doing, only to earn a quiet 'fine.'

Alright, he thought, this might be a little harder than I thought.

When he asked him a few other things - What his favorite color was, what he did for work and what his favorite past time was, he was almost ready to give up. The man had only responded with one worded answers, and even though he didn't seem as scared as before, he still definitely had his guard up.

Trying one last time to get Aaron to speak, he asked him what his favorite book was. This definitely made the shorter boy perk up and smile brightly - and god, was his smile beautiful.

"My favorite book? Oh, it's definitely Common Sense by Thomas Paine! The way he writes is do elegant and descriptive, and that's definitely something needed for the topic he's writing abou--" Aaron froze suddenly, his smile dropping. Looking down at the floor, his face flushed red.

"I'm sorry. That was probably really boring to listen to."

Charles stared at him with a confused look on his face, tilting his head. He let out a surprised little laugh, making Aaron look up at him.

"Are you serious? That wasn't annoying at all, I'm actually interested." Charles noted Aaron's surprised look, and he opened his mouth to continue, but Sammy screamed his name from a few aisles down.

Wincing, he looked behind him, then looked around. He saw a notepad a few feet away hanging from the one do the shelves that said "What do you want us to bring to Shopko?" and he quickly walked over to it. Scribbling his number on the paper, he walked back to Aaron, handing it to him.

"Text me later, and tell me more about the book." He smiled. Looking at the paper, the short man looked hesitant, his fear slowly rising in his eyes.

"I don't know --"

"Don't worry -" Charles whispered, gently grabbing Aaron's hand. Seeing the short man visibly tense, he almost let go of him, but he felt a little better when he relaxed a little. Placing the paper in his hand, he gently closed the short man's hand around it. "Just tell me about the book, and if you never want to talk again, that's fine."

Letting go of his hand, Charles winced again when he heard another shout, this time too close for comfort. He looked at the short man and smiled, waving a little, before turning and walking out of the aisle to find his loud friend.


	3. Chapter 3

The first time Aaron Burr messaged Charles Lee, it was six A.M. on a Sunday morning a week after their encounter.

Charles was just getting ready to go out and pick Samuel up from his last night shift at the bar for this week when his phone went off in his pocket. Slipping his shoes on quickly, he took his phone out of his pocket and clicked on the new message on his screen.

212-330-××××

\- Hello sir, it's Aaron Burr, if you remember me. I've messaged you to speak about the book we had talked about a week ago.

Charles snorted at how formal he was and changed his name before replying.

 

charles

\- lmao your so formal

 

aaron "i have a cute smile" burr

\- Oh, I'm sorry. Should I stop?

 

charles

\- no no its fine dude lets talk abt the book

 

aaron "i have a cute smile" burr

\- It's hard to text at the moment. Would you like to meet up? I got off my shift at the book store early and we could speak for a little bit. I even have the book.

 

aaron "i have a cute smile" burr

\- 1133 Broadway, New York, NY 10010

 

Charles hummed. That place wasn't very far from where Sammy worked, and his friend didn't get off of work for another twenty minutes, so he had some time. He typed his reply before shoving his phone into his pocket.

charles

\- ok cya in 10

\---

The moment they met up, Burr excitedly handed him the book and explained the gist of it some more. Even though the shorter man seemed a little more open than before, he still constantly apologised when he got too excited and Charles had to constantly tell him that he was fine.

At some point, the talk about the book died down and they began speaking about random things. Charles learned that Aaron loved to listen to piano music and read. He also learned that the short man loved the summer time, liked to dance and that he enjoyed resting in the sun.

Charles had easily told him the things he liked - he also enjoyed dancing, but he loved halloween, sleeping, and he really enjoyed drawing.

As they spoke, they didn't realize that they spent nearly forty minutes just talking to each other like they had been best friends for many years until Aaron looked down at his phone.

His smile immediately dropped and he quickly became tense. Looking up at Charles, he whispered a quick 'sorry' before bolting over to his car on the other side of the street.

This worried Charles immensely, but instead of stopping him, he got in his car and drove to the bar to pick up his friend.


	4. Chapter 4

The next time he saw Aaron, he nearly burst into tears.

James had invited Samuel over for dinner to celebrate the fact that he got promoted at the law firm he worked at. Charles had reluctantly asked if he could come, and James had agreed - rather coldly, though.

When the two of them reached their house, Samuel excitedly ran up to their front door and rang the doorbell as Charles stood behind him, shivering from the cold. 

James opened the door and quickly invited them in, and before Charles could even get a word out, James had an arm around Sam's shoulders and was dragging him to his living room. 

Slowly, he followed the two, peeking into the kitchen. He stopped when he saw Aaron at the stove, grinning brightly. He had the man on his mind the entire week they were apart - and even though they texted during that week, it didn't feel like enough. He wanted to see the short man.

Moving into the kitchen, he moved over to Aaron's side. "Aaron, hey --"

A loud gasp suddenly slipped past his lips when the short man looked at him.

The entire left side of Aaron's face, from below his eye all the way down to his cheek, was a nasty purple/yellowish color. His bottom lip was swollen and red, and there was a small cut on the right side of his forehead.

Charles instantly grabbed ahold of Aaron's hand, flinching a bit when Aaron tensed again. He looked at the kitchen door just in case, biting his lip before looking back at Aaron.

"Did he do this to you?"

The short man looked away, staring at the wall in front of him. He was silent for a long time before he spoke. "He was disciplining me. I was late, I deserved it for being so disobedient."

Charles' jaw nearly dropped when he heard what Aaron said, but he managed to keep himself together. "That's not right, Aaron. That's not a good thing."

"He loves me."

"Aaron -"

"He loves me."

"That's not love -"

"He loves me.." At this point, it sounded like Aaron was trying to convince himself instead of Charles. Taking a hold of Aaron's shoulders, he turned him so they were face to face. The short man was on the verge of tears, and just that made his heart break.

Whispering softly, he made sure to say it slowly this time so Aaron actually listened. "That is not love."

Silence. A tear slipped down Aaron's cheek as he stared up at Charles, and for the first time in the time that he knew Aaron, he finally saw a light in the short man's eyes.

"Help me."

"Help you with what?" Samuel asked from the doorway. Aaron quickly pushed Charles away from him and looked at the wall, wiping his eyes just in time for James to appear behind Samuel.

Aaron turned and smiled at the two in the doorway, folding his hands obediently in front of him. "I was just about to ask Mr. Lee if he could get a cup from the top drawer for me." The short man glanced at him, and Charles quickly walked over and opened the cabinet, grabbing a random cup off of the top shelf.

Setting it on the counter, he smiled politely at Aaron, then moved over to the door. He looked at James, who's eyes were blazing with anger.

"Who's hungry? Dinner smells amazing."


	5. Chapter 5

He started his plan the moment they left James' house.

A day had passed, and he had already come up with a plan to save Aaron.

Rocking back and forth inside of his car, he stared at his phone, waiting for a text from Aaron. He had told the short man to pack as much of his his things into a suitcase earlier, and Aaron willingly done it. Then he told the short man to keep the door unlocked and tell him when James went to bed - he figured out that James usually went to bed before the shorter man because he had to clean the messes that James left behind.

Hearing his phone buzz, he quickly clicked on the message.

 

aaron "i have a cute smile" burr

\- He's asleep. I can hear him snoring in our bedroom. Now what?

 

Without answering, Charles quickly got out of his car and ran across the street, quickly making his way to the house. He paused in front of the door for a moment, but he quickly grabbed onto the knob and pulled it open.

Aaron, who had been standing on the other side a few feet away, gasped and nearly dropped his phone when he saw Charles. He grabbed onto his suitcase without speaking and walked over to Charles - only to slap him lightly on the chest.

"You scared the fuck out of me!" He whisper shouted, then gasped again, quickly covering his mouth. "I'm sorry." He said, voice muffled by is hand.

Laughing quietly, Charles shook his head and took his hand. "Your fine, Aaron."

Looking a little uncertain, the short man took a deep breath, then smiled and nodded.

Hearing a muffled yell coming from James' room asking about water, the two of them froze. Suddenly, without hesitating, Charles picked up Aaron's bag and shouted at the top of his lungs,

"RUN!"

Everything moved so fast - all he knew was that their was snow hitting his face, he was being weighed down by a suitcase, and Aaron's hand was warm in his.

As they reached Charles' car, Charles didn't hesitate to toss the suitcase into the back seat of his car, starting the car and slamming on the gas. Aaron had just barely missed having his leg ripped off as he was getting into the car, and he didn't even have to close the door as the car did that for him when they shot forward.

They could hear shouting, but it quickly vanished as the howling wind took it's place. After they drove for nearly an hour, going literally nowhere, Aaron began to laugh.

It started out quiet, coming out as a few chuckles, until he was full on laughing like a hyena. Slowly, Charles joined him, and he pulled onto the side of the street.

The two of them laughed and laughed until they couldn't laugh anymore - and then they laughed some more.

Suddenly, Aaron's laughter cut off. "James is going to find me and he's going to kill me."

Charles stopped laughing almost immediately, looking over at Aaron with wide eyes. Taking the short man's hand, he placed it against his chest, making him look up at him.

"Aaron, feel this," He whispered, rubbing his knuckles with his fingers. "As long as my heart beats, I won't let him find you or hurt you anymore."

Before Charles could say anything else, the short man suddenly shot forward and kissed him. Gasping against his lips, he didn't hesitate to kiss him back.

It wasn't the best kiss - it was quick, chaste and panicked and their noses hit each other really hard, but that didn't matter. It was their first kiss, and it was amazing to the both of them.

Charles felt like his entire body was on fire, and the moment Aaron pulled away, it felt like he was tossed into the middle of a blizzard completely naked. He already yearned for that blazing hot warmth again.

Aaron backed away a bit, looking worried and guilty. "I'm sorry - you probably don't like me like that, I just --"

Charles kissed him again, a small and quick one. When he looked up at Aaron, he smiled at the flame he saw in the short man eyes.

"I do like you like that, Aaron Burr. Now, lets go home."


	6. prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> woops im done

A month had passed since Aaron left James.

It took Aaron a long time to get used to living with Charles and Samuel, but Charles was so proud of Aaron.

He made sure he felt safe here - Samuel was always so nice and so inviting, making him feel welcome, so he didn't even have to ask him to be nice. The two had become close friends in the month that had passed, and would often watch movies until three in the morning when Sam had free nights, and the two would talk about books and show each other their favorite things to do.

More of the short man's personality seemed to appear too - it turns out that Aaron can be really sarcastic, and he was the literal king of comebacks. The short man also got really excited over things he liked, and he often spoke about the most random things that would pop up in his head. Other than that, he was a rather quiet man that just enjoyed being in the presence of people who would have him.

Things between Charles and Aaron became better and better as time passed. Charles tried his hardest to be really romantic with the short man - since he was his first boyfriend and he had been in an abusive relationship.

Of course Aaron loved it now, but the first week, anytime Charles did anything sweet, he would slip back into his previous obedience and would kindly deny whatever it was and apologize over and over or he would burst into tears.

The short man still did slip into things he did in the past - sometimes he wouldn't eat for a few days or he would forget his coat at home - but he was getting better.

They were getting better.

Laying in bed one night, Charles stared up at the ceiling, his mind racing. He heard that James got a new lover - a woman named Maria Lewis, and he wondered if she would be safe. He wondered if he and Aaron should move in case James decided to change his mind and find Aaron. He wondered if he would ever be able to make his boyfriend the happiest man alive. He wondered if maybe they were moving too fast. 

"Could I sleep with you?" Aaron's voice cut through his thoughts, and he looked over at the short man. He only wore a shirt that was a little too big for him, and he had an embarrassed look on his face.

Charles grinned at him, making grabby hands at him like a child. Aaron did not hesitate to walk over and crawl into bed with him, curling up at his side with a content hum.

Taking a deep breath, Charles stared up at the ceiling some more. Listening to Aaron breathe, he broke the silence after a moment, looking down at his boyfriend.

"You don't have to ask to sleep with me."

"I know." Aaron whispered without opening his eyes.

Charles nodded, looking back at the ceiling. Finally letting his eyes close, he wrapped an arm around Aaron protectively.

"I love you." He whispered.

Aaron was silent for a long time, and Charles almost thought he was asleep, but he suddenly chuckled out of nowhere.

"I love you too."


End file.
